Kiss and Make Up (gxg)

Chapter 16

Shiloh's POV. The morning of the court hearing.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" my mom asked softly. She was lying in bed to conserve her energy, though that was improving steadily. I was hopeful that in another month she'd be almost back to normal. Assuming the doctors were right with their prognosis, of course. I was sitting next to her on the bed, just hoping to feel a little better about what I was about to do, but I didn't see much hope in that.

"I don't have much choice. I already gave Mr. Fletcher the pictures he paid for. If I don't do this, she'll hate me forever."

"She might anyway," my mom replied sadly. She'd been against the job offer from the beginning, but I didn't have a choice. I needed the money for her bills and to save her house, and I was hoping to save Kenley too.

I pulled out an envelope containing a letter that I'd written that explained everything, hoping to give it to Kenley or Harper today. "I have it all right here. All I can hope is that she'll read it and understand what I was doing, and why, and then pray that she gives me a chance."

"You might have to be patient. This is going to break her heart, you know that."

"I know. But it was going to happen regardless. Blake was going to find someone to do this, and maybe my way is better. At least I hope so."

My mother reached out a hand, placing it atop mine. "And what will you do if she doesn't give you that chance?"

I shook my head slowly. That wasn't a question I wanted to answer, because I was desperate to somehow make it through this and still end up with my Key at my side. I'd come so close to telling her everything, but there was too much on the line to risk it. There was every chance that I would end up miserable, and her too, but if there was even a sliver of a chance, I had to take it. "Beg her, or beg Harper to talk to her for me. If none of that works, then I go back to the restaurant and see if they still need a waitress. One way or another, I'm out of a job after today."

"The job isn't as important as she is. Jobs come and go, but if she's as special as you say, then she is what you have to try for."

"She is." Which sucked, because what I was doing would probably cost me any chance of being with her if I never got the chance to explain. As new as all of this was, I saw a real future with Kenley. I just had an immense wall between me and that future. But it was a wall that just needed one door in it.

"Then make sure she knows it!"

"I'll do my best, I promise," I assured her. "I better get going, I still have a stop to make. I'll be back this afternoon."

"Good luck, sweetie!" she called after me as I left her bedroom. I put the envelope with Kenley's letter in it into the manilla folder with the other papers I needed, and then went out the front door, locking it behind me to keep my mom safe.

My little Toyota was in the driveway, and I held my breath when I started it. Luckily, today it was acting normally, and it turned over without a fuss. With the money that Blake had paid me, I could have gotten a new car, but that money was all destined for my mom's bills. Once those were taken care of, and they were still coming in from the visiting nurse, then I could worry about replacing my car, or at least getting this one repaired so I wasn't worried about it so much.

I put my phone in the little holder on my dashboard and pulled up Nina's address. I'd only been there once, and it wasn't exactly on the way to the courthouse, but it was a necessary stop. I'd met Nina at the office a couple of weeks ago, and she'd given me a big reason to smile ever since. I heard my phone buzz, and noticed it was a message from Grant, Blake's lawyer, and I just rolled my eyes. The next time I got to a red light, I read it, and was hardly shocked. They just wanted me to stay on the floor below theirs until he texted me to come up to the courtroom. They obviously didn't want Kenley to see me before they went into the hearing, and that was probably just as well, or I'd have a breakdown. I replied with a simple thumbs up emoji and kept driving.